Geodesic dome

ABSTRACT

A geodesic dome construction system utilizing a plurality of prefabricated flanged triangular panels and interior rigid insulation material. The flanged triangular panels are formed from single sheets of rigid material and fastened together on a flange-to-flange basis with sealant between the flanges. Along the interior face of the panel, rigid insulative material is attached with adhesive. The seams or voids along the edges of the rigid insulative material can be filled with foam insulation or other sealer which will further seal the interior flange seam of the flanged triangular panels. In addition, the interior face of the insulative material is covered with a coating to provide an interior finish and protection against damage.

BACKGROUND —FIELD OF INVENTION

[0001] This invention relates to a geodesic dome structure composed offlanged triangular panels.

BACKGROUND —DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART

[0002] Geodesic dome structures are already well known and one can referto the patent of R. B. Fuller No. 2,682,235 (1965) for an understandingof the geometry of such structures. While geodesic domes are inherentlyefficient structures, they have seen relatively little use in themarketplace. One reason is that they differ greatly from conventionalstructures and thus there is a reluctance to use such foreign lookingdesigns. In addition, most designs that are available today areexpensive to build. Even though the basic design is materiallyefficient, their construction is extremely labor intensive. Most designsrequire the cutting of many triangles out of plywood or other woodproducts including many complicated angle cuts for studs, struts, etc.One can refer to U.S. Pat. No. 4,907,382 (Paul A. Schwam, 1987) and U.S.Pat. No. 4,611,441 (Thomas A. Wickens, 1985) as examples. Furthermore,many designs have had problems with water leakage due to the exposure ofseams to the exterior and building materials that degrade over time.Therefore, experience has shown that applying conventional constructionmethods to the geodesic dome design has met with limited success.

[0003] Several examples of prior art which utilize flanged panelconstruction systems are known. One such design is U.S. Pat. No.4,330,969 (Patrick E. Quaney, 1982). It uses molded panels which areassembled on a flange-to-flange basis. The panels are molded fromstructural foam or similar materials and can include reinforcing ribsintegrally molded into the flange for strength. While this design mayprovide a means of constructing a dome from panels on a flange-to-flangebasis, the panels themselves are not necessarily efficient tomanufacture.

[0004] My invention overcomes these limitations. A major considerationin my design is cost. The simplicity of design and ease of constructionare the biggest cost savers in my invention. Furthermore, the design isoriented to allow for simplified tooling and manufacturing processes.Even with these advantages my invention exhibits superior structuralstrength characteristics. All of the previous geodesic dome designssuffer from a number of disadvantages:

[0005] (a) Their complicated design or labor intensive assembly processcauses them to be cost prohibitive. While many designs may be able toproduce a structure that can be built at a comparable cost toconventional structures, they can not be built at a cost that issignificantly lower and thus affordable to the lower end of the housingmarket. Thus, their use is restricted to the very small market ofunconventional home buyers who can afford them.

[0006] (b) Most designs require extensive labor to assemble the buildingcomponents. While some panel designs can be assembled quickly, theyusually require extensive labor to manufacture the building panels.

[0007] (c) They use conventional roofing systems which are prone to leakon such unconventional roof structures.

[0008] (d) The use of wood in any building structure eventually allowsfor possible damage due to decay, rot, water, or termites.

[0009] (e) The use of wood or other organic materials for exteriorsurfaces also necessitates substantial periodic maintenance such aspainting etc.

OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES

[0010] Accordingly, several objects and advantages of the presentinvention are:

[0011] (a) to provide a geodesic dome construction system that will becost effective and affordable to the low end of the housing market orthird world regions;

[0012] (b) to provide a geodesic dome construction system that can beassembled on site with minimal labor and whose panel building componentscan be manufactured inexpensively;

[0013] (c) to provide a geodesic dome construction system which will notbe prone to leaks;

[0014] (d) to provide a geodesic dome construction system which will notbe prone to rot, water or termite damage;

[0015] (e) to provide a geodesic dome construction system which will notrequire substantial exterior maintenance;

[0016] Further objects and advantages are to provide a geodesic domebuilding system which will make clean comfortable housing affordable forpersons who now suffer with substandard housing. Still further objectsand advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the ensuingdescription and drawings.

DRAWING FIGURES

[0017] In the accompanying drawings:

[0018]FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a building structureembodying the present invention;

[0019]FIG. 2 is a top plan view of a typical flanged triangular panelembodying the present invention prior to the flanges being formed attheir proper acute angles;

[0020]FIG. 3 is a top plan view of a panel after flanges have beenformed at their proper acute angles;

[0021]FIG. 4 is a side view of FIG. 3;

[0022]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a typical flanged triangular panelembodying the present invention;

[0023]FIG. 6 is a top plan view of two panels attached at their flanges;

[0024]FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view of FIG. 6 along line 7-7;

Reference Numerals In Drawings

[0025] 20 rigid insulative material 28 holes 22 foam insulative sealant30 interior coating 24 flange sealant 32 adhesive 26 fastener 34 flange

DESCRIPTION —FIGS. 1 to 7

[0026] The description presented herein describes an improved andsimplified means of building a geodesic dome structure through the useof one piece flanged triangular panels and rigid insulation system. Atypical embodiment of a geodesic dome construction system of the presentinvention is illustrated in FIG. 1. Geodesic domes can be built invarying configurations and percentages of a sphere and can also utilizean almost unlimited number of different geometric designs. Therefore,this invention relates closely to the panel design which can be utilizedfor the varying configurations of geodesic domes. The panel can be madefrom a single piece of any rigid material which can be formed or bentwith the preferred material being a sheet-metal such as galvanizedsteel. Other metals such as aluminum or stainless steel, etc. will alsowork. Before a panel's flanges 34 are bent or formed it will have ashape consistent with FIG. 2. FIG. 3 shows a top plan view of a panelafter the flanges 34 have been formed. Take note of the fact thatflanges 34 will be formed at acute angles in relation to the interiorface of the panel (as shown in FIG. 7) with each angle determined by themathematical geometric formula of the dome constructed. The flanges 34can be easily formed with a press-brake which is a tool common to mostall sheet-metal fabrication shops.

[0027]FIG. 4 shows the panel from the side with holes 28 in the flange34 to accept fasteners 26 (shown in FIG. 7). The holes 28 can bepreformed with a punch which is also a common sheet-metal tool. Itshould be noted that the panels will work without the holes 28 preformedas they are shown. It is preferred that they be preformed with similarflanges having similar hole patterns to facilitate proper and speedyalignment during the assembly process. However, with the use offasteners 26 such as self-drilling screws the panels can be erectedwithout holes 28 preformed in the flanges 34. FIG. 5 shows a perspectiveview of a typical panel with flanges 34 formed and holes 28 preformed.

[0028] During the assembly process the flanges 34 are coated withsealant 24 and the panels are attached to one another at their flanges34 and fastened with fasteners 26 as shown in FIG. 7. FIG. 6 shows twopanels so attached. The sealant 24 seals the seam between the flanges 34to form a water-tight seam. In the preferred embodiment the sealant is aflexible neoprene sealant. However, the sealant can be any materialwhich will form a permanent seal between the joined flanges 34. Thisprocess of fastening panels together will start at the base of thestructure and continue in a spiral fashion until the top panels areassembled. After the structure is erected, the insulation material 20can be attached to the interior of the structure with adhesive 32 asshown in FIG. 7. The insulation 20 can be made from any rigid insulativematerial with expanded polystyrene foam being the preferred material.The thickness of the insulation can be selected depending upon the useof the structure, but 4 to 9 inches would be average. It is preferredthat the insulation be cut or formed into triangular shapes inaccordance with the shape of the flanged triangular panel that it is tobe attached to. This rigid insulation material is attached to theinterior face of the panels with an acrylic latex adhesive contactcement available from DAP Inc., Dayton, Ohio. There are other adhesivesavailable that will also work.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 7, there is a space or void left between thepieces of rigid insulation material 20 where they meet along the seam oftwo flanges 34. This space can be filled with a urathane foam such asFroth-Pak manufactured by Insta-Foam Products Inc., Joliet, Ill. Thisfoam can fill the entire void but should at least fill the void to theextent that the edges of the attached flanges 34 are completely covered.This will act as a secondary seal for the flanges 34. The interior faceof the rigid insulation material may be finished with an interiorcoating 30 such as plaster.

[0030] Summary, Ramifications, and Scope

[0031] My geodesic dome invention consists of triangular panels that areformed from single sheets of rigid material and that have flanges formedalong their edges at acute angles in reference to the interior face ofthe panels. The panels are fastened together flange to flange withscrews, bolts or other suitable fasteners. The panels can be made ofsheet-metal or any other rigid material which can be formed by bendingor other means. The seams where the panel flanges meet are sealed with apermanent flexible sealant against water leakage. Insulation can beprovided by rigid insulation material which can be attached to theinterior face of the of the flanged triangular panels with adhesive. Anygap or void between the rigid insulation along the panel seams can befilled with a foam sealer or foam insulation which will furthermore sealthe interior seam of the connected flanges. The interior face of theinsulation panel can be coated with a fire-resistant coating to providean interior finish.

[0032] Although the description above contains many specificities, theseshould not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but asmerely providing illustrations of some of the presently preferredembodiments of this invention. Thus the scope of the invention should bedetermined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, ratherthan by the examples given.

I claim:
 1. A geodesic dome consisting of a plurality of flangedtriangular panels whereby each panel is formed from a single sheet ofrigid material.
 2. The dome of claim 1 wherein said panel has flangeswhich are formed at acute angles in relation to the interior face ofsaid panel.
 3. The dome of claim 2 wherein said panels are fastened toone another at said flanges with the flanges facing the interior of saiddome.
 4. The dome of claim 3 wherein holes are provided in said flangesto accept fasteners.
 5. The dome of claim 1, further including rigidinsulative material which is attached to the interior face of saidflanged triangular panels.
 6. The dome of claim 5 wherein seams betweenrigid insulative material are filled with insulative foam or equivalentsealer.
 7. The dome of claim 5 wherein said rigid insulative material iscoated with an interior finish.